love

Turning 61 Today: Keanu Reeves

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[1995, on his idea of happiness] Lying in bed with my lover, riding my bike, sports, happy times with my friends, conversation, learning, the earth, dirt, a beautiful repast with friends, family with wine and glorious food and happy tidings and energy and zest and lust for life. I like being in the desert, in nature, being in extraordinary spaces in nature, high in a tree or in the dirt, hanging out with my family, my sisters.

[1995] L.A. has been my place of abode for seven years and I have a little place in New York City. I don’t even have a house house, but I have been living in the same place in Los Angeles for a couple of years and it’s just now becoming a home. I like to be free and unfettered. I like the option of being able to do anything and go anywhere, anytime. I like to have my house open. A lot of my friends have keys to my houses and I like to have everything, you know, ‘What’s mine is yours,’ and to drink wine, talk and hang out.

[1995, on My Own Private Idaho (1991)’ You know what’s great? Right after I finished Dracula (1992), I went to Paris to visit a couple of friends, shipped over one of my Norton’s, my ’72 750 with California plates, and just hung out for two-and-a-half weeks. My Own Private Idaho (1991) had just opened at a theater right near my friend’s house where I was staying. I got stopped by a couple of American students who’d seen it and they bought me a beer. Which is what you should do in Paris: sit in cafés, talk, hang out. I had miraculous weather, so it didn’t rain on my parade. Then, I went to New York to visit friends, sat down, hung out, and the same sort of thing happened there. So, do I want more movies that lead to experiences like that? Yes, please.

POETRY Reading: Sweet Gratitude, by Claudio Laniado

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Narrated by Val Cole

POEM:

Sweet gratitude because I can walk, talk, eat, drink, enjoy a beautiful sunset , have a home , carry a home within myself, share of myself with loving kindness to those who I meet, and inspiring others to do the same because love and compassion for me is a start of a way to act toward my fellow earthlings.
My love overflows as I tap into the power of love and compassion because love and compassion can be stronger than the love of power.
Our earth may be crumbling but it is to remind us tis time to get out of the mud, to walk together in a path that unites all despite our many differences. It’s time to unite to save any love and compassion you might have.
Our humanity needs you!
Bring on the greatest fight you will have, for love and compassion to your fellow earthlings!
Join us lovers and compassionate people, before the world crumbles. Find gratitude between the lines.

By producer of Forbidden Tango, Claudio Laniado

Short Film Review: ILLUSION. Poland. Directed by Jacek Jędrzejczak

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Synopsis:

Illusion – distorted interpretation of existing external stimuli.
They also occur in healthy people and is not a psychopathological symptom.
by Jacek Jędrzejczak

Review by Victoria Angelique

The combination of excellent cinematography and a beautiful score makes ILLUSION a joy to watch. The filmmaker, Jacek Jędrzejczak, took an artistic approach in creating this remarkable short film. There are many themes that are invoked, such as the power of human connection and the idea of illusion. 

The very beginning of ILLUSION draws the audience right in with the great framing of the woods and the path between the trees. The women are a little off center, a move that is clearly conscious as they cross paths. Each woman is on the opposite sides of the road, heading towards the other. The idea of crossing paths is inevitable, though the outcome isn’t predictable.  

The two women meet in the center of the path, slightly brushing against each other. It’s simple, but enough to stop the two women from continuing to move forward on their respective journeys. Their vibrant orange dresses disappear, cutting to a moment where they embrace in a moment of nudity. The filmmaker is representing the bare soul of each woman as they hug, intercutting between the nude women and clothed women to provide the illusion of the power behind human connection. 

The theme of illusion is quite clear, almost signaling that sometimes fates interweaves and interrupts the plans someone might have as they walk their own personal paths. A chance inter counter can change the course of life as new relationships are formed. Jędrzejczak gives the ILLUSION that the women will part ways after their souls connect, only for them to walk together in sisterhood. A new friendship formed through an intimate soul connection.